Drawout switch gear



p 11, 1956 E. E. WILLS 2,762,878

DRAWOUT SWITCH GEAR Filed July 8, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.!

INVENT R Erwin 1 #4 11:

ATTORNEYS p 11, 1956 E. E. WILLS 2,762,878

DRAWOUT SWITCH GEAR Filed July a, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

ATTORNEYS United States Patent DRAWOUT SWITCH GEAR Ervin E. Wills,Alfton, Mo., assignor to Federal Electric Products Company, acorporation of Delaware Application July 8, 1953, Serial No. 383,559 13Claims. (Cl. 200-50) This invention relates to switch mechanisms andmore particularly to switch mechanisms of the cell-enclosed drawouttype.

One object of the present invention is to provide a drawout switchmechanism having a mobile carriage which can be easily moved about,dirigibly, substantially within its own floor space.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drawout switch mechanismhaving a carriage that is easily moved about and properly aligned withand guided into and within the companion cell.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a drawout switchmechanism having simple means facilitating the engagement anddisengagement of the switch contacts.

It is still another object of the invention generally to provide adrawout switch mechanism of improved construction.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdescription considered in connection with the accompanying drawings inwhich;

Fig. 1 is a top view of the carriage and the cell with the carriageshown drawn out;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the carriage and the cell shown invertical section and with the carriage partially positioned in andcompletely aligned within the cell.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the carriage;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the carriage;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the carriage;

Fig. 6 is a horizonal sectional view of the carriage along section AA ofFig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a detail front view of the closing and disengaging mechanismbefore the carriage is closed in the cell;

Fig. 8 is a detail side view of the closing and disengaging mechanismwhen the carriage is completely closed within the cell;

Fig. 9 is a detail side view of the closing and disengaging mechanism.

Briefly described, the present invention contemplates a drawout switchgear comprising a cell and a mobile carriage provided with registeringcompanion terminal elements, the cell and carriage being provided withmeans which cooperate to properly align the mobile carriage with thecell and to properly align the terminals or contact members of thedrawout switch mechanism with the terminals or stationary contactmembers in the cell. The carriage is mounted on swivelled wheels toprovide complete movability, i. e., so that the carriage can be easilysteered and turned 360 in a floor space no larger than the area of acircle having as its diameter the longest diagonal (in the horizontalplane) of the carriage.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the drawings illustrate adrawout switch comprising a cell 1 having two vertically spacedhorizontal guide bars or rails 4 on each .of the side walls 5, and acarriage 2 mounted on four swivelled wheels 9. Said carriage has anupper guide roller 6 and two spaced lower guide rollers 6a positioned ateach side 7 of the carriage frame to make rolling contact with the guidebars 4 on the cell 1 and to align the wheeled carriage 2 with the cell 1when the carriage is moved into the cell. The wheels 9 are mounted forrotation in the companion brackets 9a, respectively, and each of saidbrackets is rotatable about a vertical axis in either direction, forwhich purpose each bracket is provided with a spindle 9b rotatable inthe base B of the carriage frame. The forward ends of the guide rails 4are tapered at the entrance of the cell as indicated at 4a (Fig. 1) tofacilitate the entry of the carriage 2. The carriage 2 carries controlmeans such as circuit breakers, switches, etc. more or less generallyand schematically illustrated at C in Figs. 4 and 5.

Electrical contact between the drawout switch contacts 8 on the carriage2 and the stationary contact 3 of the cell is made automatically whenthe carriage 2 is closed within the cell (Figs. 2 and 4), as will bereadily understood. The contact or terminal elements 3 and 8 provide arelatively large contact surface and are closely fitted to provide goodelectrical connection. Therefore, it is necessary to apply substantialforce to overcome resultant sliding friction when contact elements 8 aremoved into engagement with contacts 3. If the carriage 2 is not properlyaligned in the master cell 1 the contact elements 8 will not registerwith contacts 3 and it will be difiicult to close the switch. Thisdifliculty is prevented by providing the above described novel means foraligning the contacts on the mobile carriage 2 with the cell contacts 3.More specifically, it will be understood that the parts are relativelydesigned, arranged, and dimensioned so that when the carriage is enteredinto the cell, the guide rails 4 at both sides of the cell aresimultaneously engaged by the adjacent guide rollers on the carriage,with very slight clearance, so that the contacts on the carriageregister with the companion contacts in the cell.

The mechanism as shown in Figs. 7 to 9, for aiding in engaging anddisengaging the contacts is shown in detail and comprises two spacedlever elements or arms 10 rigidly secured to a horizontal shaft 11rotatably mounted in the upper front section of carriage 2 (Figs. 2, 3and 4). Lever elements 12 which are relatively shorter than leverelements 10, and form therewith an obtuse angle in the vertical plane,are rigidly secured to the outer ends of shaft 11. Lever elements 10 and12 connected as described form a bell crank lever, i. e., an angledlever of the second class, capable of moving carriage 2 inward inrelation to cell 1 when lever elements 10 are rotated in a clockwisedirection, viewing Figs. 8 and 9, and when rigid abutments orprojections 14 at the front of side walls 5 of the cell are utilized aslever fulcrums. In like manner carriage 2 may be disengaged and movedoutward in relation to the master cell 1 by rotating lever elements 10in a counterclockwise direction and by utilizing the verticalprojections or abutments 15 as the lever fulcrums. To decrease thefrictional force between lever elements 12 and vertical projections 14and 15, a wheel 13 rotatable in the vertical plane and parallel to theside walls 5 is provided at the end of lever element 12. It is obviousthat projections 14 and 15 must be spaced (along the horizontalprojection) closer than the greatest distance between the center ofshaft 11 and the outer periphery of wheel 13. Abutments 14 arepreferably constituted by the integral flanges at the front of the cell,and the abutments 15 are preferably constituted by angle iron pieceswelded to the side walls 5. When carriage 2 is being moved into themaster cell 1 each lever element 12 is in a horizontal position andclears through slots 16 in flanges 14 (Fig. 7). Levers 12 are thuspositioned by the engagement of lever arms 10 with the positioning stops18 (Fig. 9), against which said arms come to rest by gravity.Conventionally, a hinged door D (Fig. 1) may be provided for the cell 1.

It will be observed that the foremost guide wheels 6:: (at the rightviewing Fig. 2), may engage the rear wall 19 of the cell, if desired, soas to limit the movement of the carriage in its closed position in thecell, i. e., when the contacts 3 and 8 are properly engaged with eachother.

While the invention has been described in conjunction with preferredembodiments, it will be understood that modifications and variations maybe resorted to without departing from the invention as will be obviousto those skilled in the art. Such modifications and variations areconsidered to be within the scope of the invention and appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

1. A drawout switch mechanism, comprising a cell and a mobile carriageprovided with registering terminal elements, said cell having at leasttwo opposed horizontal guide members on the side walls, said carriagebeing mounted on wheels and having at least two spaced guide wheels oneach side positioned to make rolling contact with said horizontal guidemeans and to align the carriage in the cell.

2. A drawout switch mechanism comprising a cell having electricalcontacts therein, a mobile carriage provided with contacts engageablewith and disengageable from said cell contacts, said cell having ahorizontal guide member in the lower portion of each side thereof and ahorizontal guide member in the upper portion of each side thereof, saidcarriage being mounted on swiv= elled wheels and having at least twospaced guide wheels at the lower portion of each side thereof and atleast one guide wheel at the upper portion of each side thereofpositioned to make rolling contact with said horizontal guide members,respectively, to guide the carriage into the cell with said contacts ofthe carriage in registry with said contacts of the cell.

3. A drawout switch mechanism, comprising a cell having spaced sides anda front opening, and a wheeled switch-carriage movable into and out ofsaid cell through said opening for engaging and disengaging the switchcontacts of the cell and carriage, said cell having laterally projectingabutments positioned near said opening at the side thereof, and leveroperated means mounted on said carriage and engageable with one of saidabutments for forcing the carriage contacts into engagement with thecompanion cell contacts and engageable with another of said abutmentsfor forcing the carriage contacts out of engagement with the cellcontacts, said cell having front flanges at the sides of said openingand providing certain of said abutments, said flanges having openingsfor the passage of said lever operated means therethrough when thecarriage is being moved into or out of said cell.

4. A carriage for a drawout switch gear of the type having electricalcontacts to engage and disengage electrical contacts in a cell, saidcarriage comprising a frame mounted on swivelled wheels so that thecarriage is movable through 360 in a floor space not substantiallylarger than the maximum floor space of the carriage, and guides on thesides of the carriage for engagement with the cell for aligning thecontacts of the carriage with the cell contacts, said guides comprisinga plurality of vertically spaced rollers at each side of the carriage.

5, A drawout switch mechanism, comprising a cell having spaced sides anda front opening, and a switchcarriage movable into and out of said cellthrough said opening for engaging and disengaging the switch contacts ofthe cell and carriage, said carriage comprising a frame mounted onswivelled wheels so that the carriage is movable through 360 in a floorspace not substantially larger than the maximum floor space of thecarriage, and guides on the sides of the parriage for engagement withthe cell for aligning the contacts of the carriage with the cellcontacts, said guides comprising a plurality 10f vertically spacedrollers at each side of the carriage.

6. A drawout switch mechanism, comprising a cell having spaced sides anda front opening, and a wheeled switch-carriage movable into and out ofsaid cell through said opening for engaging and disengaging the switchcontacts of the cell and carriage, said cell having laterally projectingabutments positioned near said opening at the side thereof, and leveroperated means mounted on said carriage and engageable with one of saidabutments for forcing the carriage contacts into engagement with thecompanion cell contacts and engageable with another of said abutmentsfor forcing the carriage contacts out of engagement with the cellcontacts, said cell having front flanges at the sides of said openingand providing certain of said abutments, said flanges having openingsfor the passage of said lever operated means therethrough when thecarriage is being moved into or out of said cell, and means on thecarriage for positioning the lever operated means in alignment with saidopenings in the cell flanges.

7. A drawout switch mechanism, comprising a cell having spaced sides anda front opening, and a wheeled switch-carriage movable into and out ofsaid cell through said opening for engaging and disengaging the switchcontacts of the cell and carriage, said cell having laterally projectingabutments positioned near said opening at the side thereof, and leveroperated means mounted on said carriage and engageable with one of saidabutments for forcing the carriage contacts into engagement with thecompanion cell contacts and engageable with another of said abutmentsfor forcing the carriage contacts out of engagement with the cellcontacts, and means on the carriage for releasably holding said levermeans in a predetermined position.

8. A drawout switch mechanism, comprising a cell and a switch carriageprovided with companion contact members, said cell having side wallsprovided with guide means for said carriage, and wheeled aligning meanson the sides of said carriage to cooperate with said guide means toguide the carriage in moving into the cell for guided engagement of thecarriage contacts with the companion cell contacts, and means on saidcarriage positioned in relation to said contacts so as to preventfurther closing movement of the carriage into the cell after thecarriage contacts are properly engaged with the cell contacts.

9. Drawout switch gear comprising a cell and a wheeled carriage havingcompanion contacts, said cell being provided with an opening forreception therein of said carriage, said cell being provided with avertical side supporting member adjacent said opening, said supportingmember having a flanged portion extending into said opening, saidflanged portion being provided with a slot, a pivotally mounted leverarm on the side of said carriage corresponding to the side of said cellhaving said side supporting member, said lever arm being pivotablebetween first and second positions and having a lever element rigidlyoperatively secured thereto for operation therewith, said lever elementbeing insertable in said slot only when said lever arm is in said firstposition, said lever element being adapted to bear against said flangedportion for moving said carriage into said cell when said lever elementis inserted in said slot and said lever arm is moved from said first tosaid second position.

10. Drawout switch gear comprising a cell and a wheeled carriage havingcompanion contacts, said cell being provided with an opening forreception therein of said carriage, said cell being provided with avertical side supporting member adjacent said opening, said supportingmember having a flanged portion extending into said opening, saidflanged portion being provided with a slot, 21 pivotally mounted leverarm on the side of said carriage corresponding to the side of said cellhaving said ,side supporting member, said lever arm being pivotablebetween first and second positions and having a lever element rigidlyoperatively secured thereto for operation therewith, said lever elementbeing insertable in said slot only when said lever arm is in said firstposition, said lever element being adapted to bear against said flangedportion for moving said carriage into said cell when said lever elementis inserted in said slot and said lever arm is moved from said first tosaid second position, and a laterally projecting abutment operativelysecured to said side of said cell near said slot and to the rearthereof, said lever element being adapted to bear against said abutmentfor moving said carriage out of said cell when said lever arm is movedfrom said second to said first position.

11. Drawout switch gear comprising a cell and a Wheeled carriage havingcompanion contacts, said cell being provided with an opening forreception therein of said carriage, the side walls of said cell beingbent to form the corner members of said cell adjacent said opening, eachof said bent portions being provided with a slot in the surface in theplane of said opening, a pair of laterally projecting abutmentsoperatively secured to the sides of said cell adjacent said slot and tothe rear thereof, a horizontal bar pivotally mounted on said carriageadjacent the front thereof, at least one lever arm secured to said barfor pivoting said bar from a first to a second position, a pair of leverelements secured to said bar at opposite ends thereof and adapted to beinserted into said slots when said bar is in said first position, saidlever elements being relatively short as compared to said lever arm, theparts being so positioned and proportioned that when said lever elementsare inserted into said slots and said bar is pivoted from said first tosaid second position by said pivot arm, said lever elements willoperatively bear against said bent portions to thereby move saidcarriage into said cell and when said carriage is in said cell and saidbar is pivoted from said second to said first position, said leverelements will operatively bear against said abutments to thereby movesaid carriage out of said cell.

12. Drawout switch gear comprising a cell and a wheeled carriage havingcompanion contacts, said cell being provided with an opening forreception therein of said carriage, the side walls of said cell beingbent at the front to form the corner member of said cell adjacent saidopening, each of said bent portions being provided with a slot in thesurface in the plane of said opening, a pair of laterally projectingabutments operatively secured to thesides of said cell adjacent saidslot and to the rear thereof, a horizontal bar pivotally mounted on saidcarriage adjacent the front thereof, at least one lever arm secured tosaid bar for pivoting said bar from a first to a second position, a pairof lever elements secured to said bar at opposite ends thereof andadapted to be inserted into said slots when said bar is in said firstposition, said lever elements being relatively short as compared to saidlever arm, the parts being so positioned and proportioned that when saidlever elements are inserted into said slots and said bar is pivoted fromsaid first to said second position by said pivot arm, said leverelements will operatively bear against said bent portions to therebymove said carriage into said cell and when said carriage is in said celland said bar is pivoted from said second to said first position, saidlever elements will operatively bear against said abutments to therebymove said carriage out of said cell, and a pair of wheels rotatablymounted on each lever element for hearing against said bent portions andabutments for decreasing friction when said bar is pivoted from one tothe other of said positions.

13. In drawout switch gear having a cell provided with an openingadapted to receive a wheeled carriage therein, said cell having at eachside a guide rail adapted to cooperate with guide means on said carriagefor properly positioning said carriage within said cell, at least one ofsaid guide rails being tapered adjacent said opening for facilitatingreception of said carriage within said cell.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,624,361 Ow Apr. 12, 1927 1,904,565 Swanson Apr. 18, 1933 1,929,293Saint Germain Oct. 3, 1933 2,135,250 Cole Nov. 1, 1938 2,273,002 MahoneyFeb. 10, 1942 2,544,314 Hebbe'l Mar. 6, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES Pamphlet:Plant Distribution Systems; By Westinghouse Electric Corporation (page

